seiler



J. SEILER BOOK RACK Dec. 5, 1944.

2 Sheets-Sheet l l/VVE N T 0/? am Filed Feb. 26. 1944 Patented Dec. 5, 1944 UNITED STATES} i idTENT OFFICE BOOKRACK John Seiler, Maricopa County, Ariz. Application February 26, 1944, Serial No. 524,057

4 Claims.

This invention pertains to book racks for hlding ledgers, particularly the type of ledgers now largely used in business establishments for accounting purposes wherein a large number of sheets are replaceably held so that sheets may be added to the ledger back or,removed therefrom. These ledgers are usually provided with stiff covers hinged to a back which includes several rods, passing from front to back to bind the covers together and oVer which prepared holes in the leaves comprising the pages may he slipped. These lodgers, as used, become quite thick and heavy and cumbersome, and it is hard for the user to open them to a desired page and keep the page flat so that material may be copied therefrom or so that the user may make entries on the page. It is highly desirabl that the ledger be held at an angle, tilted toward the user and that the page to which it is opened be held flat. To do this one cover must lie fiat, the back must be elevated at an angle depending upon the thickness of the book and the position of the page within the thickness, and the other cover may either lie flat or be elevated and held at an angle. The angle at which either of the covers on the book should be maintained to provide adequate access to the opened page, varies according to the position of the page within the body of the book, consequently I have provided a structure which will place the book at an angle slanting slightly toward the user on a rest which will hold the book in a desired position on a desk or other support; that will hold either cover at any desired elevated angle when the book is opened and in use; and that will provide a support for the back of the book when it is opened at certain pages near the covers.

In view of the foregoing one object of the invention is the provision of a bas on which the ledger may be generally supported at an angle tilted toward the user, together with sliding angular block supports transversely moveable across the width of said base and adapted to engage the covers or back of a ledger or similar book so that when the same is, opened the pages will lie flat or at any angle desired.

A second object is to provide a slanting book rack base having a track extending transversely along its lower edge together with triangular shaped block supports adapted to engage said track so that they may be retained in position on said base and slid across the face thereof to provide elevation for book covers after the same are opened.

A third object is to provide a ledger rack hav- 'ing a base tilted toward the front edge, a track extending along said front edge, and. prism shaped support blocks, adapted to engage said track at one end and slide across the face of said base, being retained by said track against axial, and longitudinal displacement, and

A fourth object is to provide support blocks as above stated, with a face plate, supplemented by wedges, having a right angular elevation, with said face attached to the hypotenuse edges of said blocks, and track engaging glides attached to the adjacent edges.

I attained the foregoing objects bymeans of the construction and devices illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which,

Figure 1 is the perspective of the complete rack;

Figure 2, an end view of the rack base with a fragment of a block in place;

Figure 3, a, plan View of the base;

Figure 4, a plan view of one of the block supports;

Figure 5, a right hand end view of said block support;

Figure 6, a left hand end View of said block support;

Figure 7, a section thereof taken on line l-l Figure 4; and

Figure 8, a perspective View of the rack with a ledger in place thereon.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts in the several views. The rack consists generally of a base 2 and block supports 5 and 5a. The base is made of flat material rectangular in shape and is provided with triangular shaped feet 3 attached to its under side so that its face 4 is elevated at a slight angle toward the user.

On top of this base there are two blocks 5 and 5a. These act as supports for the book covers or the book back, when desired, and are adapted to slide laterally across the face of said base.

Across the front edge of the base is a rail U) which is shaped in section so that it provides retention rim H overhanging and adjacent roove I2.

Each of said support blocks is composed of three main parts, that is, a plate 6, and wedge like end pieces I and 8 attached at each end to its underside and having a right triangular shape.

Along the edges adjacent the right angle M of the near end piece 8 are lides l5 and H3. The blocks are shaped so that the plate 6 of the right block 5 is held at an angle of about 25 from the horizontal in the position shown in Figure 1.

The horizontally positioned adjacent edge, as shown in Figure 5, on which glide I5 is positioned is longer than the vertical edge on which glide I6 is attached. These glides are shaped to fit and slide within the grooves in track ill, and accordingly have a groove adjacent the face of block 8 forming a head or lip it which fits beneath the retention lip H. The contacting parts are proportioned so that either glide, when the block is in corresponding position, will slide freely in the double grooves of rail I0.

Since these double grooves in rail piece ID in cooperation with either of the glides [5 or IE have the effect of retaining the blocks in position, holding them against relative displacement, and against longitudinal angular displacement relative to said base, I prefer to term the rail H] a retention track.

Along the hypotenuse edge, of the lower end block 8, is a right triangular piece of fiat .material I! having. its base and side edges parallel to glides l5 and I6, and its hypotenuse parallel to and extending above the bottom edge of the plate 6. This portion acts as a retaining edge for the covers or back of a book placed on the rack. The ends of the glides may also assist in this function. The base and side edges of this triangular block assist in conformin the glides to track ID.

The support blocks are made as right and left counterparts, or as pairs except that the angles their plate faces bear to the base face may vary, as desired and according to the angle shape of the blocks 1 and 8.

When glide l5 (Fig. 5) is fitted into rail I and the block lies accordingly the block is said to be in shallow angle position, and this glide may be referred to as a shallow angle glide.

If glide strip I is fitted into track It, and the block held with its shorter side down the block is said to be a steep angle block, or in steep angle position, and glide I6 is termed the steep angle glide. Sets of blocks may include a right hand shallow angle block, and a left hand normally steep angle block. Obviously these blocks may be reversed and the glide in rail l0 changed with the result that the right hand block may be in steep angle position and the left hand block in shallow angle position.

In use the ledger or other book is placed on a base f in opened position. If it is desired to work on pages in the front of the book a block in steep angle position is placed against the back 20 of the book 2| (Figure 8) and if desired a block in shallow angle position placed under the bottom cover 22. The blocks are adjusted laterally until the face of the page 23 lies flat or at a desired angle. Where it is desired to work On pages at.

the end of the book the positions of the deep and shallow angles of the blocks are arranged conversely. Intermediate pages may be made to lie fiat by contacting the blocks with-the covers only.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided a device which not only provides support for the book in general but whichalso provides mechanism and means for holding the book open in any desired position by affording support for either, or both of the covers, or one cover and the back, so that the pages will lie flat for easy inspection of to facilitate writing. Obviously, if inspection of entries only is desired the book may be tilted so that the pages exposed are elevated at a slight angle and so that as the pages are turned the book remains open at the desired place.

While I have described and explained the use of but one example of my invention, it i conceivable that to those familiar with the art, various changes and modifications will suggest themselves; these may pertain to structure as well as to the uses to which thedevice may be put; for example, while I have stated that the device is especially suited to handling large loose leaf ledgers, it is also intended that it will handle any large permanently bound volume, such as a dietionary, or Bible. Any and all such modifications, however, may well remain within the spirit of the invention and, therefore, I wish to be limited only by the following claims.

I claim:

1. A rack for holding a book in open position, including in combination, a base having a face tilted toward the front, a rail extending transversely across the front edge of said base face having a retaining rim, wedge like supporting blocks, adapted to slide laterally across the face of said base while in engagement with said rail, said blocks having glides on their lower edges adapted to engage said rail so that they are held against axial rotary displacement and longitudinal displacement.

2. A rack for holding large books in an opened position, including in combination, a base, having a plate, and supports holding said plate at an angle tilted toward the front edge a rail positioned along the front edge of said plate, said rail being formed, in section, to provide a lateral groove with a depending retention lip, and a plurality of support blocks, adapted to contact the back and covers of a book placed on said base plate, having faces elevated at an angle to said plate by wedge end pieces and glides attached to their ends, adapted to engage the groove and depending lip of said rail so as to slide laterally on said plate face while retained in their longitudinal position and held against rotation.

3. A rack for holding large books in an opened position, including in combination, a base having a plate, and wedge supports adapted to hold said plate at an angle tilted toward the front edge, and a rail attached to and extending along said front edge, said rail being formed to provide a lateral groove with a depending retention lip, and a plurality of supporting blocks, adapted to contact and support the back and covers of a book positioned on said base plate, said supports having faces elevated at an angle to said plate by wedge shaped end pieces with glides attached to their ends and adapted to engage the groove and depending lip of said rail so as to slide laterally on said plate face while retained in their longitudinal position and held against tipping rotation, together with retaining pieces positioned on the ends of said support blocks forming a lip along the lower edge of their faces.

4. A rack for holding large books in an opened position, including, a base having a plate, supports beneath said plate holding it at an angle tilted toward its front edge, and a rail extending along said front edge formed to provide a groove opening toward said face with a depending lip extending along its upper edge, in combination with composite supporting blocks composed of top plates and Wedge end portions, adapted to slide laterally across the face of said base plate, said wedge end portions having right triangular contours with the hypotenuse edge adjoining the plate edge so that said plate is supported at an angle relative to said base plate, and being provided with glides extending along the edges adjacent said right angle corner shaped to slidably engage said track, reciprocally as desired, and a right triangularly shaped block attached to one of said end portions with'its hypotenuse edge extending above the end of the adjacent plate forming a retaining lip.

JOHN SEIIER. 

